Take cover, Apple’s spy is overhead

The tech giant is using a private air force to produce high-definition 3-D maps of your homes, write Mark Harris and Robin Henry

USERS of Apple iPhones will soon be able to see into people’s houses through
skylights using a 3-D mapping service based on high-resolution aerial
photographs from spy planes.

Privacy campaigners are warning of a “software arms race” between Apple and
its arch rival Google, which is upgrading its own online maps. That will
allow access to images previously available only to intelligence services.

This week Apple is expected to unveil Maps, a revamped app for its iPhone and
iPad in an effort to overtake the hugely popular Google Maps service.

The company has enlisted its own private air force fitted with military-grade
camera equipment to capture the world’s towns and cities in high-definition
3-D. It is understood it has tested the technology in at least 20 cities
around the world including London.

The resulting images are expected to be so sharp that they can reveal objects
4in across. The finished